European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 1, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday september 1, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 17  a Xola test sat scores not surprising to business new York apr to businesses last weeks report on students dismal sat scores was no Bombshell. Unable to wait for National education Reform Many employers Are teaching workers math and English or a a dumping Down already Basic jobs. The latest bad news was for the College bound students who take the Scholastic aptitude test but business leaders said the broader implication is that schools Are not even preparing students for the Assembly line. A in some cases businesses have had to a dumb Down the work a spend time and Money on machines and work processes that fit an under educated workplace a said Foster Smith senior vice president of the National Alliance of business a Washington based group that represents about 3,500 companies. The danger in simplifying tasks is that a company can Handicap its ability to adopt More Complex technologies that May be needed to stay competitive. Many businesses have created on site courses to bolster their workers Basic math and verbal skills and have formed alliances with Public schools donating time equipment and Money. Although the results Arentt visible. Yet the programs Are working some leaders say. A the worst thing someone can do is say a of my god sat scores Are falling we have to revamp everything a a said John Laubenstein associate director of the Amoco foundation a philanthropic Arm of the Oil company. A a after almost a decade of rhetoric. There Are some real things about to happen. But they just Haven to had a Chance to jell yet a he said. Averages on the verbal Section of the sat slipped two Points in the 1990-91 school year to an All time Low of 422 out of 800. Math averages dipped two Points to 474 out of 800, the College Board said monday. Amoco is one of several Large corporations that have gone beyond inhouse programs to work with school districts to try to improve education. The company said it contributed $14.2 million to education so far in 1991. In Chicago where the company is based Amoco has committed $500,000 to a five year program with the department of Energy to retrain area Public school teachers in math and science with an emphasis on hands on projects for kids. The Boeing co., based in Seattle offers classes to bolster the Basic math and verbal skills of its 158,000 workers. The courses now Are conducted after work but Boeing spokesman Russ Young said company officials arc considering offering them during work hours. Boeing also works with Public schools and is mulling Basic skill tests for potential hires he said. At us West communications also based in Seattle phone operators service people and repair workers a who have frequent Contact with customers a must  literacy test before being hired. The company also holds one and three Day seminars aimed at improving workers communication skills. Many experts expect efforts by Busi Nesses efforts to pay of Alluter this dec add. A a we re at the beginning of a very major revolution in the United states a said William Kolburg president of the National Alliance of business. A in terms of the Bottom line we Haven to seen much movement  a great Boon for american investors Berlin apr Ronald Lauder and Mark Palmer two former . Ambassadors in Europe Are among a handful of americans moving into Eastern european and soviet business ventures. The failed coup in the soviet Union has Only helped their cause says Palmer. A we Are so much ahead of where we were before the coup a said Palmer . Ambassador to Hungary from 1986-1990. A the coup has been a great  Lauder ambassador to aus i Tria in 1986-1987 and son of the american cosmetics Queen Estee Lauder founded the Central european development corp. And brought in i Palmer to run it. A both of us understand not Only this Region but understand Palmer the possibilities understand what can be done and understand the mentality and the yearning for Freedom by these people a Lauder said. A a lot of people come look around and then leave. We re staying there. We re investing our  the former envoys not Only plan to turn the old . Checkpoint Charlie at the now extinct Berlin Wall into an american business Complex they expect to conclude two joint venture deals in the soviet Union this fall. The failed attempt to return the soviet Union to orthodox communism is not Only a psychological boost to investment Palmer said. A More profoundly important now the Way is cleared in Moscow to get rid All of these people who Are holding up the Basic Steps which Are needed to provide investment opportunities a he said. Martin Mendelsohn a lawyer with a Washington Law firm representing american clients investing in the East also believes the coup will Spur rather than deter interest. A Eastern Europe is right now the last Frontier for Western capitalism a Mendlesohn said on a recent Stop in Germany in route to Yugoslavia and the soviet Union. But not everyone believes the tumult in Moscow will Aid investment in the East particularly not by the americans who economists said were skittish to begin with. A i think people Are still going to be very Uncertain a said Max Steuer a european specialist at the London school of economics. A i think there s a lot of political Relief. But in a doubtful that firms will follow it up with direct investment not Only because of uncertainty about Eastern Europe and associated areas but because of the general economic climate in the West a he said. A if things were More prosperous in the West then i think people would be prepared to be More speculative and adventurous a Steuer said in a Telephone interview. Jeffrey Lowe an economist at the . Commerce department said the numbers of american investors in Eastern Europe a Are real  a a there a a lot of talk a he said a but Many things Are just caught up in red tape and have not gotten  nonetheless investors like Palmer and Lauder and Mendelsohn a clients Are going ahead. A the Basic urge to Supply goods and services and the Basic needs that Are there will keep Western investors coming Mendelsohn said. A if Western specs Are used then you can get High Quality products with relatively Low labor costs. That a the real  he said people in the cast were fed up doing without and that their governments realized they a have to Supply the goods or the governments arc going to be in  Mendelsohn would not identify his clients but said he would be representing More than one in Moscow this week. The a choral european development  biggest project is the planned american business Center a checkpoint Charlie which Lauder claims will a be the Point where East meets  however checkpoint Charlie is a Case in Point for the problems Many investors encounter in the newly opening cast. The corporation has received approval from the a a a a a a Berlin government to Pur Lauder Chase property stretching from the old Berlin Wall crossing into former East Berlin along Fredericks Trasso the bustling commercial Center of prewar Berlin. But some of the five acre area is owned privately and by the tre hand the Agency charged with privatizing former East Germany a state owned property. Negotiations Are under Way to Purchase the entire area. Regardless Palmer says the corporation will go ahead with the $500 million project on the land the City has promised to sell. Lauder and Palmer also Are Busy in Hungary Czechoslovakia and the  in Orion studio drops to All time Low los Angeles up Orion Stock plunged to an All time Low Friday amid investor concerns that the Public shareholders of the struggling studio May not be getting a fair Deal under a proposed restructuring. Shares of Orion declined by 7j ends to $1,625 a share Friday on the new York Stock Exchange. Its previous Low had been $2,125 a share. After the Market closed Orion announced it would not make a $50 million payment due saturday on its Bank Loans along with a $2.5 million interest payment on its Bonds. The defaults were not a Surprise. Orion had defaulted in july on a $1.2 million interest payment on its debt on aug. 1, it had exercised 30-Day Grace periods on the $2.5 million payment and on aug. 15, it had exercised another 30-Day Grace period on a $13 million interest payment. Orion has been struggling to stay out of bankruptcy court for several months and speculation has Arisen that it May be leaning toward a prepackaged voluntary bankruptcy plan. Despite the Success earlier this year of two major hit films a dances with wolves and silence of the lambs a Orion has been unable to generate enough Cash to operate because of a crushing $500 million debt Burden. In the first Quarter ended May 31, it lost $24.8 million. Entertainment analyst Steven Hill of Sutro amp co. In san Francisco said the decline stemmed from the growing perception among investors that their holdings will be diluted if the restructuring goes through. Sales drop causes porsche to Cut . Staff by 23% Detroit up porsche cars North America inc. Said Friday it is reducing its staff by nearly 23 percent effective immediately because of a 52 percent sales slump blamed on the recession and luxury tax. The Reno nev., distributor of the German luxury sports cars Cut 77 of its 339 positions in All areas of the company As of sept. 1, including sales and operations service and parts and marketing and advertising said porsche spokesman lid Triolo. Porsche said it had hoped to avoid a staff Cut by implementing Broad Cost cutting actions. All workers affected by the reduction will get Severance packages. A Triolo said porsche a . Dealer count of 245 will not be affected by the staff reductions. A the recession has been most Felt in our key geographical markets like the Northeast states and Southern California a Triolo said adding that the 10 percent luxury tax on the part of the transaction Price above $30,000 a has also had an additive effect. Porsche a 1991 . Sales through july 31, the latest figure available were 2,844 cars Down 51.6 percent from 5,873 cars in 1990. Its 1992 Model cars Range from $44,500 for its new 968 Coupe to $98,875 for the 911 Turbo